The Bigoted Bride
by actionman81
Summary: When a couple wants to have their wedding reception at Sun Memorial Hospital, they get more than they'd hoped for. Cisco's eyes fail him, and Danse does her best to understand


Sun Memorial Hospital

"Don't worry" Cisco smiled, sunglasses perched over his eyes, "It's just a setback" he sat on a bench. Danse was next to him, their hands together, fingers interlaced

"Tell me how you really feel" Danse sighed, it wasn't like Cisco to hide his feelings like this

"It hurts, Danse. It hurts a lot. I'd made so much progress, and now—" he let his sentence hung midair

"And now you'll find a way to cope with it" Danse smiled, and even though Cisco couldn't see it, she hoped that he'd know

"I can always count on you" he grinned towards her

"We didn't talk for so long, and I wasn't sure what had happened, how much things had affected you"

"I couldn't talk about it, not to you, not to anyone. I just felt like I was finally back to being a whole person, and couldn't handle being like this again"

"Being like this again? Cisco, you're the one who showed me that you're a whole person, already, no matter what happens today, tomorrow, or later on in life. I was so upset about not being able to dance, but you showed me that life is more than one attribute or talent"

"Sure" he was more subdued now, "I guess I had forgotten that" he reflected aloud

"No matter what happens, I'm right here"

"Unless the call of nature shows up" he laughed

"Sure" she hugged him. Cisco had a way to make things lighter with a joke, but Danse knew he was still covering up his pain.

Dr. Howard showed a couple around the makeshift garden and pool area that made up the hospital grounds. The space gave the patients and their families somewhere other than the patients' rooms and the wards to sit, walk, relax and spend time together. "You can see how our garden has an abundance of foliage and other greenery, and across, over here, we have our pool, and swimming facilities" he explained

"Oh, Josh, wouldn't it be nice?" the blonde, apparently the bride to be, gushed

"Sure Mindy, it would be, but are you sure a hospital is the right place. I'd feel bad about upsetting the patients and their routines"

"I'm sure we can find a way to work around that, if you're absolutely set on having the photographs taken here" Dr. Howard replied

"Thanks, Dr. I really appreciate it" Josh shook hands with the doctor.

"Keep going!" Wes called from the cement edge of the pool

Cisco swam harder.

"How bad is it, Wes?" Danse knelt next to him,

"Well, it's hard to say. It's mperative to get his body rhythm back. His brain had to deal with so many changes since he could see again, and going blind again had thrown him into a lurch, if you will"

"What do you mean?" Danse didn't understand

"Well, suppose that you were right handed, but you lost function in that hand."

"You'd have to learn with your left hand?"

"Right, but that would take time. Well, what if your right hand started working again?"

"I guess, you'd be able to use it, right?"

"Sure, but it might take time, because you hadn't used it for so long"

"So, something that hasn't been used, even if it works again, takes time to learn how to use it?" Danse wanted to make sure she understood

"More or less. I've spoken with this to Cisco already, and Dr. Howard has explained it in more detail than I have. The question is, do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Sure. It's been so long since Cisco and I talked, really talked, and I want to do whatever I can to help him"

"This is where I'd like a few shots of me with the pool in the background" Mindy showed the photographer around the grounds. She stood near the edge of the pool.

"I hope she doesn't fall in" Wes sighed

Mindy looked out onto the pool and smiled. Then Cisco swam up to the edge. Mindy looked down at him and stepped back suddenly, almost as if she didn't want Cisco to touch her.

Cisco didn't notice.

Danse noticed right away.

In the day room, Danse and Susie were setting up a card game. Cisco sat on a chair near them, and tuned his guitar

"Come on, you'll enjoy it" Danse spoke to Cisco

"I—I don't know" he faltered

"Try it out" she slipped a card into his hands

"Three of—hey! These have braille on them" he exclaimed

"Right" she smiled at him

"Ok, deal me in" he set his guitar on the chair and took Danse's hand. They set next to each other at the table

"Five card stud? Joker's wild? Maybe a little poker?" Susie flipped the cards from one hand to the other

"Apparently, you've gotten better since I was here last" Cisco laughed

"Thanks" she grinned

Danse looked around, "There's Josh and Mindy. Hey, do you guys want to join us for cards?"

"Sure" Josh eagerly pulled up a chair and sat down next to Susie

Mindy held back

"Come on" Josh extended his hand towards his fiancé, "It'll be fun"

"Honey" her words came through gritted teeth

"Yeah?" Josh didn't understand her animosity

"C'mere" she motioned to him

Josh sighed and got up from the table. The pair made their way across the room, but Danse could make out what they were saying

"I don't want to sit with those people" Mindy fumed

"What's your problem? A card game is a nice, normal break from all the photography"

"They're not normal. He's blind" she referred to Cisco, "and she's crippled" she motioned with her eyes towards Susie

"How can you feel like this?" Josh was shocked

"My feelings are perfectly valid" she stared at him

"You can't catch a disability as though it was a disease" he rationalized

"Of course you can" she snapped at him

"What are you talking about?" Josh was aghast

"One second" Cisco left his cards aside and stood up

"Wait" Danse reached out for his arm, but Cisco had already crossed the room, towards the couple

"You know" he tapped Mindy on the shoulder; "disabilities aren't diseases, and are certainly not contagious. My blindness was caused by an accident when I was young"

"I –uh" Mindy was taken aback

"As for Susie, she's got Cerebral Palsy. It is a condition which affects an individual because of some change or damage with the developing brain and neurological system."

"Well, I—" Mindy asserted herself. She looked at her fiancé, "Say something"

Josh looked stunned, "I can't believe you feel like this. What if we had a child, and they were disabled?"

"That's different" she spat out

"Is it?" Josh wondered aloud

"I'm not asking for much" Cisco turned towards Mindy again, "I just want to be treated like a person, for all of us to be treated like the people we are"

Mindy stood there, speechless for once

"Do you want us to deal you in?" Cisco referred to the card game, and perhaps something more

"Sure" Josh agreed readily. He walked towards the card table with Cisco

Mindy walked away, out of the room

"I thought she'd change her mind" Danse was crestfallen

"Come on" Cisco was firm, "life's not like TV, where things resolve themselves in twenty two minutes"

"I guess not" Danse sighed

"It's ok" Josh forced a smile, "she'll thaw out, in time"

"I hope so" Danse exhaled

"Don't worry" Cisco turned his head towards Danse. He put his cards down on the table, and found her hand. He took her hand in his, and squeezed it. "let's just play cards, and relax"

They did.


End file.
